Pastor's corner

Sister Mary Brigid Clingman

Saturday

Feb 25, 2012 at 12:01 AMFeb 25, 2012 at 8:52 PM

As I sit here at my desk this Tuesday morning, I am attired in the traditional colors of Mardi Gras: purple for justice, green for faith and gold for power. I once spent a year studying in New Orleans and lived with a woman who ran a sheltered workshop for developmentally disabled adults.

One of their summer projects was to recycle beads thrown at the parades. Sister Jeanne would collect these beads at the end of the year from the university students and would have enough for many days of work. She also sent out the “Northern” students living with her to “collect beads for the poor.” That was enough justification to spend many nights and days calling out for beads as floats passed by. I actually did get a genuine green plastic necklace from Stevie Wonder.

Tonight the beads carried through the years will go back on the door knob of the closet to await another outing next year. But as Mardi Gras is the last fling before the season of Lent, perhaps the Mardi Gras colors will go forward into these next six weeks of prayer and preparation: purple for justice, green for faith and gold for power.
We began on Ash Wednesday with admonitions to pray, fast and give alms with a renewed consciousness of our spiritual journey into the Paschal Mystery: the death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. During these weeks we need to take Sabbath time to reflect on our lives of faith, justice, and power. Power might seem to be out of place as so often the word connotes a sense of superiority, a word associated with bullies, and energy that intimidates and destroys. Yet we also speak of the power of grace, of love, of compassion.
When we faithfully embrace that power gifted to us by God, justice will follow. We will endeavor to establish right relationships between ourselves and others. We will recognize that we are called to responses demanded by Scripture (Isaiah 58:6ff): Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking off every yoke? Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry, bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Do we not hear these words echoed by Jesus as he proclaims his ministry and as he describes the final judgment? Are these not the words that feed us as we make decisions about public policy and welfare? In the last election there was a “Call to Renewal: Isaiah’s Platform.” Its three points call us:

• to recognize that budgets are moral documents that reflect our values and priorities
• to commit to supporting all who work and those unable to work by providing: a living family income, quality health care, affordable housing, adequate nutrition, educational opportunities for their children.
• to commit to significantly reducing the number of people worldwide who experience extreme poverty.

As we move into the season of Lent in faith, power, and justice may we journey deeply into the Word for guidance for our decisions, for joyfulness in our ministries, and compassion for the world.

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